Eva's Expedition

Chapter 40: Rise N' Shine

"Careful Eva," Logan said, grabbing my hand to help me up.

"I got it," I insisted, rubbing my sweaty hands on my cargo shorts to dust them off.

Logan and I were hiking. In the dark. We'd picked one of the easiest trails of the Grand Canyon to hike for a very important reason.

We wanted to see the sun rise over the Canyon.

To do that, you had to start off early. Very early. It was about four thirty in the morning. The sun was said to start its ascent in about an hour or so. That gave us time to hike the few miles we had left and get to a perfect spot.

We were on the East Rim trail and were making our way to Yaki point, which wasn't normally crowded with other early birds. After a short drive on the car trail, we'd parked close enough to hike to the point.

Since it was so early, we were alone and all was quiet but some crickets and a distant howling coyote.

Logan was a bundle of nerves while I was just completely ecstatic. People in the rangers office advised us to be careful because of prowling predators that hunted in the early hours like this.

Pumas had been a real concern and thanks to the jabbering rangers and their stories, Logan had been set on edge.

The hunting knives strapped to my and his hip reminded me of the threat, but I chose to not let it get to me.

We were also warned about venomous snakes that came out at dawn to sunbathe before it got too hot for them.

I could see why they weren't out right now. Darkness was still looming over the canyons and rocks. Nothing was holding heat and a chilled wind blew through the cracks of the fixtures.

It couldn't have been more than forty five degrees right now. I was wearing a jacket to keep me warm. My outfit only consisted of a tank top, shorts and boots. I was regretting the shorts right now.

Logan was in front of me, intent on leading us. The trail was somewhat  easy. It was worn and almost seemed paved, yet he was still anxious.

I should've slipped a Xanax into his croissant earlier or something.

My backpack was a constant weight on my back as we walked. Logan kept a flashlight beam concentrated in front of us, routinely using it to look around.

I was already grinning, not caring that we had been up around three to get ready for this and that I was chilled to the bone.

I took Logan's free hand and swung it childishly while we walked. He chuckled and cracked a smile. The nearly full moon was already dipping low, stooping towards the rising cliffs.

Right now, everything was bathed in silver light. We almost didn't need the flashlight.

Although the trail was well worn, that didn't mean it wasn't a little strenuous. Rocks had to be maneuvered around or climbed over and we had to stay away from the crumbling edge of the trail.

We were pretty elevated on this trail. It ran along the side of some cliffs as it dipped around and zig zagged.

We were finally walking across some level ground for a change. Logan and I hiked in silence, a conversation not really needed between us.

I felt completely at ease with him as we walked.

An owl flew overhead, its shadow soaring over the rocks. I watched it fly silently.